Moments after Lakers’ guard Dion Waiters checked in to the team’s first game in nearly four months, a scrimmage against the Dallas Mavericks, he faded away and sunk a jump shot as the Lakers’ bench shouted “Cheeseeeee,” referencing Waiters’ nickname “Philly Cheese.”
On the first night of the Los Angeles Lakers’ arrival to the NBA bubble in Orlando, FL, newly signed J.R. Smith took to Instagram Live to give his followers a behind-the-scenes look into what players were experiencing. He lightheartedly criticized everything from his view of the parking lot to the size of the blanket the NBA provided pointing out that it was too small for most NBA players who are well above average height. He questioned how players were expected to stay healthy with the bags of candy that were placed as snacks in each players’ room. He went on to show his teammates in the hallway simultaneously grabbing their first meal and ran through the dinner menu. Before long, Smith shared with his captive audience that he was instructed to shut it down.
Lakers guard Dion Waiters announced on Friday’s Zoom call with reporters that he will dawn Black Lives Matter on the back of his jersey for the restart of the NBA season in Orlando.
On a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday, Lakers’ point guard Alex Caruso, revealed his stance on civil unrest as the sole White player on the team’s roster. The third-year player was inspired by the learnings from a racial injustice and inequality forum hosted by Lakers’ legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the organizations’ players and staff in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.
The Lakers general manager and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka joined a conference call on Tuesday with reporters to discuss the team’s plan as they look ahead to the NBA resuming in Orlando on July 30. He explained that the Lakers would replace Avery Bradley who opted out of joining the team for personal reasons.
“No amount of words can fully describe what Kobe Bryant meant to the Los Angeles Lakers,” said Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss. “Kobe was not only a proven winner and a champion, he gave everything he had to the game of basketball. His fierce competitiveness, work ethic and drive were unmatched. Those qualities helped Kobe lead us to five titles – and have now brought him to the Hall of Fame, where he will be enshrined with the greatest to have ever played the game. No one deserves it more.”
Two Los Angeles Lakers players have tested positive for coronavirus, but they are not showing any symptoms of the illness and are both in quarantine, the team announced today.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Dion Waiters, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
Kobe and Gianna Bryant Memorial
The Los Angeles Lakers have waived center DeMarcus Cousins on Friday afternoon according to ESPN. After signing a one-year deal with the Lakers this past summer, Cousins suffered a torn left ACL during a pickup game in Las Vegas and has not played a game all season.
LeBron James fell to the ground as his teammates rushed the court and surrounded him after he nailed his fifth straight three-pointer in the fourth quarter of the Lakers resounding 129-102 win over the Spurs on Tuesday night at STAPLES Center.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James entered Tuesday’s contest against the San Antonio Spurs after being announced as the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Month for January. James moved up to third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list during the month where he averaged a near triple-double with 25.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 1.4 steals.
The late Kobe Byrant’s two numbers, No. 8 and No. 24, were illuminated on the walls of the Lakers practice court in El Segundo on Wednesday. It was the first time the team has held media availability since the tragic passing of former Lakers great Kobe Bryant.
The National Basketball Association game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the LA Clippers scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 28 at Staples Center has been postponed. The decision was made out of respect for the Lakers organization, which is deeply grieving the tragic loss of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter crash on Sunday.